Robber-proof railway-car.



G. W. MEYERS.

ROBBER PROOF RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-25, i917.

Patented Apr. 3,1917.

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GEORGE W. MEYEBS, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

ROBBER-IEROOF RAILWAY-CAR.

Application filed January 25, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l GEORGE WV. lvlEYnRs, a. citizen of the United Statesof America and in the Army of the United States of America, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in Robber-ProofRailway-Cars, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and efficient meansfor preventing robbers entering the car through the doorways thereof,this means being under the control of the mail clerks or railwayemployees inside the gar, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of an express or mail car,partly broken away, showing my invention applied thereto; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings annexed by reference characters, a designatesa pipe eX- tending around the doorway of the car and provided withperforations directed into the door opening, this pipe being set back ina recess in the door frame, so as to be out of the way. This pipedesirably extends across the top of the doorway and down each side ofthe door frame, and connected to each vertical part of the pipe is asupply pipe 5 whose other end is connected to a supply tank a supportednear the adjacent end of the car, the pipe 6 being provided with amanually-controlled valve (Z inside the car,where the employees or traincrew may have ready access to'it. A suitable deadly gas, such, forinstance, as the fumes from cyanid of potassium, is stored in the tank0, and when the train is held up by bandits for the purpose of robbery,the persons in the car will open the valve (Z and allow the gas to eX-pand into the perforated pipe and thence through the perforations intothe doorway, so that it will be impossible for a robber to enter the carthrough the doorway without breathing the deadly gas and thus renderinghim hora do combat. Of course, the gas will practically surround andenvelop the doorway, and, unless a high wind is blowing, it

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917. Serial No. 144,566.

will be impossible for the robbers to even work near the doorway. But,even in windy or stormy weather, there will be suiiicient gas constantlyinjected into the doorway to prevent entrance into the car. It isdesirable to have a tank at each end of the car, so as to render itunnecessary for persons in the car to pass the doorway in order to turnon the gas.

It will be understood, of course, that any electrical or other signalingmeans may be employed to enable the men in the protected car to signalto the engineer and other members of the crew, and vice versa, and alsothat an arrangement may be employed to enable passengers or othersthroughout the train to signal the presence of robbers to the employeesin the protected car. It will be understood also that suitable gas masksmay be provided in a convenient place for the em ployees in theprotected car, so that when the gas is emitted it will not have anyeffect on the employees.

The nature and scope of the invention having been thus indicated and itspreferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimedas new is:

1. In combination with a railway car having a doorway, a pipesurrounding the doorway and having perforations directed toward the dooropening, a gas tank on the car and a pipe connecting the same to saidperforated pipe, and manually controlled means in this connecting pipefor controlling the supply of gas to the perforated pipe.

2. In combination with a. railway oar having a doorway, a pipe mountedin the doorway and having perforations directed toward the door opening,a gas tank at each end of the car and a pipe connecting each tank withsaid perforated pipe, and a manually controlled device in each of theseconnecting pipes, these devices being located at opposite ends of thecar, whereby a person in the car may control the admission of gas to theperforated pipe from either end of. the car.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature.

GEORGE W. ME YERS.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

" Washington, D. G.

